Scouts adapt to camps without bonfires

DAVID HOPPER: FOR THE CHRONICLE
BURN BAN: Spring Branch Girl Scouts Kaeli Adams, Gabriella Ramirez, Riley Fairchild, and Rachel Thompson stack wood for a campfire, even though they won't be able to have a fire, during their camping trip at Camp Agnes Arnold in Conroe. less

DAVID HOPPER: FOR THE CHRONICLE
BURN BAN: Spring Branch Girl Scouts Kaeli Adams, Gabriella Ramirez, Riley Fairchild, and Rachel Thompson stack wood for a campfire, even though they won't be able to have a fire, ... more

Photo: David Hopper

Photo: David Hopper

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DAVID HOPPER: FOR THE CHRONICLE
BURN BAN: Spring Branch Girl Scouts Kaeli Adams, Gabriella Ramirez, Riley Fairchild, and Rachel Thompson stack wood for a campfire, even though they won't be able to have a fire, during their camping trip at Camp Agnes Arnold in Conroe. less

DAVID HOPPER: FOR THE CHRONICLE
BURN BAN: Spring Branch Girl Scouts Kaeli Adams, Gabriella Ramirez, Riley Fairchild, and Rachel Thompson stack wood for a campfire, even though they won't be able to have a fire, ... more

Photo: David Hopper

Scouts adapt to camps without bonfires

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A roaring campfire may be a scouting staple. But fire bans have boys and girls finding new ways to cook and entertain themselves at Montgomery County camps.

A Cadette Girl Scout Troop that recently stayed at Camp Agnes Arnold in Conroe had more time for service projects.

"They're losing learning experiences, but they're gaining other experiences," said their leader Robin Kohler, who started camping in third grade in St. Louis, where they never had fire bans.

Nearly the entire state is under a burn ban, and weather forecasters predict the dry conditions could continue through next year.

About 90 percent of the wildfires in Texas are caused by activities like outdoor grilling, welding and building campfires, according to the Texas Forest Service.

Montgomery County lifted the ban on burning limbs and leaves in late October after recent rainfall relieved some dry conditions.

But fire restrictions remain in place for Girl Scouts camps in the area, said Bob Spaeth, facilities director of all San Jacinto Council camps. That includes the 479-acre Camp Arnold and 206-acre Camp Robinwood in Willis.

"This is the first time where we've had no outdoor cooking," Spaeth said. "No propane, no open flame - none of that's permitted. That's a direct result of the severity of the drought."

The girls couldn't use the metal dishes provided at each Camp Arnold campsite because they had no way to heat up water to wash them.

"In Girl Scouts, we like to be thrifty. That's more trash in the landfill," Kohler said.

These bumps in the road make camping more memorable, Spaeth said.

"My experience has been that people later on remember the camping experiences where they had to make adjustments," he said. "It's a good exercise in adapting and being creative - all of which we hope girls will do."